Kaya Toast

Method

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Bring a small pan of water to a rolling boil.

   Mark done

2. Lower the eggs in and cook exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds for a runny yolk, then run them under cold water for 30 seconds to stop them.

   Mark done Start 30 sec timer

3. Toast the bread until well coloured and crisp at the edges — pale toast goes soggy under the jam.

   Mark done

4. Spread each slice thickly with kaya while hot.

   Mark done

5. Lay slabs of cold butter over two of the slices and close them into sandwiches. Do not spread the butter.

   Mark done

6. Crack the eggs into shallow bowls, add the dark soy and a heavy grind of white pepper.

   Mark done

7. Cut the toast into fingers and eat by dipping them into the egg.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Cold butter, cut into slabs. Softened and spread it melts into the bread and the contrast is gone.
• Six and a half minutes, timed. Seven gives a jammy yolk that will not coat the toast.
• White pepper, not black. It is a different flavour and it is the one this dish is built on.

Pairing Suggestions

• Kopi, the local coffee with condensed milk
• Teh tarik
• Eaten standing at a hawker counter

Storage & Reheating

Assemble to order — kaya toast is a five-minute dish and does not keep. Kaya itself refrigerates 2 weeks in a jar.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.